Boy walking on monorail tracks at Hersheypark rescued by a visitor
The child held his face in his hands in apparent confusion as a man climbed to the roof of the Simply Chocolate stand, trying to reach him.
A young boy walking on the Hersheypark monorail tracks had people screaming in horror and running to his aid over the weekend.
The child was reported missing around 5 p.m. Saturday, after getting separated from his parents, said Hersheypark spokesperson Quinn Bryner.
As Hershey staff searched the park, the boy entered a closed monorail station through one of the “secured areas,” Bryner said.
Since the monorail was not in service, the station was safeguarded by a chained closure and barricaded turnstile at the platform, Bryner said. The boy was able to hide there for around 20 minutes before making his way along the track in the Founder’s Way area.
Videos posted on social media show the child began walking on the monorail line, looking straight ahead, one foot in front of the other. Once other park visitors noticed him, panicked shouts could be heard.
The boy stopped on the track, which is several feet above ground, covered his ears, and tried to walk back in the direction of the station.
As people gathered under the monorail line, a passerby could be heard shouting guidance, including “Go that way.” Looking confused, the boy stopped, and held his face with his hands, as a man climbed to the roof of the Simply Chocolate stand, trying to reach him.
The man was identified by his wife on social media as John Sampson, a Richboro veterinarian. Sampson could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday.
Video shows the man signaled to the boy to walk toward him. The child began moving, with one hand in his mouth. The man then jumped onto the monorail track and picked up the boy.
With the child resting his head on the man’s shoulder, the crowd erupted in cheers.
The incident comes more than a month after a 9-year-old girl drowned July 24 at Hersheypark’s Boardwalk wave pool in what police said was an accident.
“We are grateful for the vigilance of our guests and the swift response of our team, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest levels of guest safety throughout Hersheypark,” Bryner said Sunday of the monorail incident.
The boy was reunited with his family just before 5:30 p.m. “He was unharmed,” Bryner said.